I wolfed it down like warm lead

I wolfed it down like warm lead 
and heard the hum 
distinctive to heavy machinery 
shutting down. 

The drums continued to pound, 
but no longer violent, now 
dictated by a beat foreign 
to my own. I waited. 

Something was clearly working. 
The wave that was meant to set me 
awash and toppled 
and brute stop the blaring night. It was coming. 

I could sense its 
warmth teasing my limbs. The sound 
of fabrics rubbing 
against each other, 

acknowledging. Then—
the dim light. 
It was purple again. Then 
nothing.

Dale Chou
2021-05-02